Frozen Hazard - A Chykn Adventure
by EnnyMay
Summary: A tale of Nerissa and how she fell into darkness: "When I was a girl, just on the edge of 16, I was chosen to achieve greatness. I was part of a team of 4 others who, like me, had only a vague idea of how destiny would twine their future. They called us guardians, protectors of the balance between worlds. We called us CHYKN and this is the tale of our biggest adventure."
1. Memories

**Frozen Hazard  
Memories  
**

by EnnyMay

When I was a girl just on the edge of 16, I was chosen to achieve greatness.

I was part of a team of 4 others who, like me, had only a vague idea of how destiny would twine their future. They called us guardians, protectors of the balance between worlds. We called us CHYNK and this is the tale of our biggest adventure.

I remember the heavy wind running through my hair, the scent of freshly grown grass, the whisper of the trees; the rejoicing of spring after a too long winter. With every day the sun's light became warmer, dying the streets gold. The school finished its preparations for the anniversary ball and while most girls would spend their day in excitement, discussing what to wear or how to steal a glance at handsome sports captain Jason Ballard, we worked out another lie to steal away from our earthly life. A new mission was upon us.

Kandrakar, the fortress of light, greeted us with few words and of a drastic kind. Tarzea, world of eternal summer, had experienced its first winter in history. The fortress had received a distress call and as its guardians, it was on us to solve the strange change of weather and help the locals. Before we stepped through the portal, the oracle lend us a new transformation to shield us from the cold. "You will have to walk. The wings would freeze immediately and hinder you in your forthcoming. Now hurry, we must not loose any second longer!", Tibor, one of the Wisemen said and hurried us onward. A white light enclosed on us. Before it faded, before any of us felt the ground, there was an intense cold clenching our heart, tearing at our clothes. The light disappeared and left us in a raging world of ice and snow.

Tarzea, once filled with laughter, the most beautiful gardens, famous for the sun dance and rich of rare fruits… had become a desert. Wind roamed across the surface, throwing up snow like the waves of an ocean storm. Tiny ice particles stung my face and each step felt like drifting through sand. We wandered for miles with no sign of the locals. Frost had taken hold of life, sending everything on its path into deep soundless slumber. Flowers in full blossom, frozen to statues, towns deserted wherever we went. It was a tiring search and a hopeless one. Until there was a "crack". Like thunder the sudden sound raced to my ears and before I could caution the others, the ground gave way and we fell into darkness. Before long we hit the ground, luckily unharmed. The snow had buried an entire building and a big one at that. "What is this place?", Halinor asked. She didn't seem to expect any answer. "Yan Lin, you think you can get us up there?" She looked up at the broken remains of a roof, considered, but shook her head: "Too windy. Without our wings we won't make it." Carefully, we removed the rubble from the walls and went on to search for an exit. There were pictures everywhere. Pictures of people, of animals, of places, lovely and warm. It didn't look like the outside world at all. "H-hello?" I jumped at the sudden sound and turned to meet a young face. The woman blinked at us through weary eyes. "A-are you hear to help us?"  
I smiled at her warmly, the other girls nodded and I replied: "We are now."  
Together, we hurried after the excited woman, down a pair of flights, several damp and iced rooms and into, what once must have been the cellar. A group of people stared at us, then broke into laughter of joy! They had waited for days, caged by their own home. "I'm so happy you found us! Is there a way out?"  
I felt my smile fading. "No. I'm sorry. We fell through the roof. I had hoped you knew where to go."  
"Why not the tunnels?", a younger boy said. A few nodded in approval but the oldest man sighed and explained. "He's talking about ancient tunnels. They are not safe, have never been and won't be in this storm." Kadma looked at me expectantly and I gave my consent: "Let's go." Cassidy came after us. "Wait! You might need me."  
The boy led us further down into the building to an old wooden door. It was covered with a thick layer of ice. I grinned and swung my head to the red head. "Looks like you were right. Do your magic." She laughed at me but didn't say anything. With one move of her hand, the ice burst to pieces and so did the wood when Kadma hit it with her foot.  
The old man was right. The tunnels were instable but, as it seemed, our only way out. I decided to take the risk. With Cassidy and Kadma clearing our way, the rest of us followed slowly, huddled together tightly to not be separated from falling rocks. After a long march of anxiety, Kadma hit the earth above her and daylight flooded into the tunnel. Relieved everyone climbed to the surface. "There is a city close by. If you are looking for answers, that's the place to look.", the old man told me. I agreed to accompany them. On our way through the snow, he started talking: "This was such a beautiful land. Full of color and… love! Now, look what a storm has made us. Refugees of our own home." I felt his sorrow then like I feel it now. That old man was shattered by what had happened and he would never forget it. "We did not see it coming. It was… like you blow out a candle. One moment it shines a comforting light, the next you are surrounded by darkness. The ice came and with it a terrible silence." Yan Lin came to us, interested in the old man's words. "You don't know what caused it?" He shook his head solemnly: "No and I'm not sure I want to know. It must have been powerful to cause such great disaster." We stayed silent the rest of the way.

As we entered the city, nothing seemed to move. Nothing seemed alive. Just another empty town. It's a strange and uncomfortable feeling, standing amongst those hollow streets, being watched by dark windows and doorways. Seeing the trance of life but not life itself is scary. We walked all the way into town center, until Halinor motioned us to stop. "There." Her finger pointed to a tall stone building. I looked closer. She was right. Someone was watching us.  
"The school! They must have found shelter!", one of the group exclaimed and started running. Immediately Yan Lin and Halinor followed but there was no need for worry. After our arrival had been discovered, we were greeted with open arms. A tall, bolded man hurried towards us. "Greetings, greetings! Please, come inside." So we did. Most classrooms we passed were empty. The man lead us up the stairs into a hall where half the city turned their heads towards us. Beside me Cassidy became considerably nervous. I wanted to lend her strength, when I noticed the fast pace of my own heart. Everyone was depending on us, expecting us to solve their problem. But what could we do? We walked miles and miles without finding any clue…

"You are from Kandrakar? Do you have any idea, how this could happen?"  
"I'm afraid not. But we will do our best to help you." While I said that, my words sounded shallow and worthless even to my ears. What help could I offer? Cassidy drew the water from the wood they had collected and Halinor showed them how to keep a fire going longer. Kadma build a big wall around the school to shield off the wind and Yan Lin helped her. But me? I had nothing to offer and our time on Tarzea was nearing its end. We had to return to our lives before our lie was discovered.  
"I promise, I will find a way to help you." I said. The man, apparently the headmaster of the school appreciated it but I couldn't help but share his doubt in us. For the first time in years, I felt the full weight of my burden: The heart of Kandrakar.

Back in the fortress of light, we reported to the oracle. "Is there someone we could ask for help? Someone nearby?", Halinor dared to ask. I, too was eager to know the answer. "Another world maybe." The bolded man thought for a moment, then nodded and said: "Yes, there is one."

That night I didn't sleep well. Restless I turned from side to side, thinking about the people of Tarzea, about their desperation, their fears, my fears. A terrible cold, unlike anything I had ever felt before, crept up my body. Shaking, my arms wrapped the blanket tighter. I didn't know what it meant. Back then I thought it was a rebound of the stress I had gone through. After hours, dreams finally caught up with me. They were sweet and tender, ignorant of the darkness that lay before me.

As the sun rose behind the hills, Yan Lin came running with a wide grin. As always, I had waited for her at the crossroad before the Green Hall Center and as always, she was late. "Sorry!", she exclaimed breathless and threw herself against the tree for a short break. "Come on, let's go.", I said and we went on our way. The streets were busy and morning fog covered everything with a white, pinkish layer that reminded me of cotton candy. I must have spaced off because at some point, Yan Lin practically screamed in my face to pay attention. I blinked irritated. She sighed. "You're pretty off lately. Is something the matter?" We continued our walk. I took a moment to think about it. She was right, there was something going on but for some reason I couldn't explain it myself. Not yet.  
"I don't know… it's hard to explain. I guess I'm just exhausted." A stray cat passed our way and we halted. "Don't you… ever feel like it's too much? Being guardian and human I mean."  
When Yan Lin turned to face me, the deep worry in her expression startled me. "No… I like being a guardian." I waved with my arms. "Yeah but, isn't it ever too much for you? All the lies and fights and… all those people depending on you." Frustrated I kicked a stone from the side walk. Yan Lin studied me carefully then her stare softened. "Hm… you're our leader. I guess, you feel the pressure more than me. After all I'm one of those dependent people, too." She smiled apologetic. The cat had disappeared so we moved on. Sadly, school waited for no one. Beside me, Yan Lin suddenly grinned and threw her hands over her head to make wild gestures: "Without you we would probably run around in circles with our hands waving desperately over our heads!" She made a stupid face and I couldn't help but laugh! "That doesn't sound too bad. Maybe we should try that once I have a camera!" "Nooo!", we laughed and teased each other the rest of the way and when we met after class to become guardians once more, I felt confidence in my heart.

Aressy was a world of winter. Our hope was to find the royal family and convince them to help Tarzea to cope with the sudden break in of ice and snow. Tucked in our new warmer uniforms, the five of us stepped through the portal and seconds later vanished from Earth.  
In another dimension, a bright light illuminated the sky. But when we opened our eyes we realized, this was only the beginning of our mission.

To be continued...


	2. What we think of

**Frozen Hazard  
What we think of...  
**

by EnnyMay

A hot wind grazed my cheek and I felt the sand crawl under my clothes.  
"What happened here?", Halinor said with wide eyes. Miles of sand, rock and veld expanded under two burning suns. We had only just arrived, yet the sudden heat already drove sweat down my forehead. "It's almost as if…" "…the worlds had changed their weather.", Kadma finished my sentence. We exchanged glances. That could be the answer. But how to reverse it? How was it done in the first place, by whom and why?

I watched a dust cloud moving over the horizon. "Let's go talk to the royal family. Maybe they know what happened. And if not, we might be able to figure out a way how the two worlds can help each other."

That seemed like the best plan so we moved towards the shimmering shapes of a town. After a 10-minutes walk, we started feeling the weight of the heat. Everywhere the dark cloth touched my skin, it felt like burning cinder. Huffing, we came to a stop. If this continued, we would barely make it to the town. Yan Lin sank down onto the dried out desert. "It's too hot! We can't move on with these winter clothes. It's insane!" "I know. Maybe we could…" I hadn't even finished my sentence, when the heart of Kandrakar appeared in a white glow, flashed once and the heat we had felt had gone. Surprised we looked at each other. Our uniforms had changed once more, this time to beautiful summer wear. Cassidy and Halinor squealed in excitement and pointed at each other. "That's so cool!" "Oh my god, you look so amazing!" Shortly after, they dragged Kadma with them to dance around happily in their new desert-proof attire. I couldn't join in. I wasn't happy or excited. I was suspicious. Wondering, I held up the light fabric and let it fly in the warm breeze. Yan Lin came to me, mirroring my thoughts. "You didn't do that… did you?"  
Slowly I shook my head. Our eyes turned at the heart, floating over my hand. "You don't suppose…" One finger pointed toward the glowing pendant. A line formed on my forehead: "I _know_ it. Before I had finished the mere thought of what to do, the heart came on its own. I don't like it."  
Yan Lin observed the heart with a mixture of curiosity and distrust. "Maybe it felt your troubles and wanted to help?" I closed my hand and the heart merged with my body. To my surprise, a sudden chill ran up my hand and Goosebumps appeared. Yan Lin eyed me questioning. "I-I'm okay.", I stammered and tried to calm my racing heart. Within seconds, the sensation faded and the warmth of the two suns was more than welcome to me. Comforting one another, we watched how Cassidy, Halinor and Kadma enjoyed themselves. "Should I tell them?", I asked without looking away. "No. It would only worry them.", I heard Yan Lin say. "Let's keep it between us for now. We can consult the oracle once this is over." My muscles relaxed and I turned to meet her eyes. "Okay. Thanks Yan Lin." She smiled: "Anytime. And you tell me whenever there's something I can help you with, deal?" I laughed and took her hand: "Deal."

Our new uniform had brought us a new set of strong and big wings. Under Yan Lins supervision, we tested them out and it felt like flying lessons all over again. Luckily I didn't get sick this time. Still it took me longest, to control the mighty pinions. With just one flap of my wings, the ground burst open in a dust cloud and I leaped high up into the air. "Alright, I think I've got it now.", I informed the others and they nodded in approval. "Then let's go! I can't wait to get some fresh water under my fingers!", Cassidy shouted high-spirited and we others joined in her cheers.

Flying was incredible! Nothing like the noisy flapping of our usual wings. With our new ones, we could soar through the air, ride on the wind and fly higher than ever before. The orange ground raced past us like a roaring stream. I remember the scent of those skies, the soft touch of the wind, the freedom I felt. But we had reached our destination in no time and the fun was over.  
Carefully we came to our feet and I was astounded how strange it felt to walk again. I threw a glimpse at Yan Lin and her smirk clearly said: "Now you know how I feel all the time." I grinned.  
Our arrival hadn't been undiscovered. How could it with those glittering wings! Several locals came out of their houses to see who had come. But it was different then back in Tarzea. Their eyes had started gleaming with hope, while these showed nothing than hunger and a deep unsatisfied anger.  
It didn't take long to read their intentions.  
"Who are you? What do you want here?", a voice demanded and others shouted: "Yeah! Get lost!" "Leave us alone!"  
Halinor tried to calm them down: "Please stay calm, we just want to help."  
"Help? Help?! How can _you_ help?" An old woman came forth. "This is what _your_ magic has done to our land!" She threw her walking stick against a tree and it cracked instantly, falling to tiny pieces. I stared at the powder of wood. Halinor tried again. I noticed, she became impatient already: "It's not our doing but we can try to fix it, if you just-"  
"No!", the old woman replied. Without warning, arms started grabbing at us, angry faces all around. Panicking, Kadma bend the earth and a rock shot out of the ground and struck a few locals away. I took hold of her shoulder before she could repeat the attack. "Don't! It will only make things worse! Let's retreat for now." I looked around, until the girls' heads nodded slowly. Yan Lin shot us into the air and we made our escape.

Miles away in the shadow of a red rock, our feet touched ground again. Halinor was angry: "How can we help them if they don't let us? Seriously! How could they say we did this?" She shot a flame into the air. "They don't know better.", Cassidy said and Halinor grumped. "Cassidy's right. These people are desperate. They don't have food or water. Their home is falling apart.", Yan Lin explained but Halinor didn't want to hear it. "So was the situation in Tarzea but there we were greeted with open arms!" Everyone turned to me. "What?", I demanded to know. Kadma waved her hand between the different parties. "Well, what do you say?" I sighed and got up. "She's right. You all are, in a way. But that doesn't solve our problem." It wasn't what they wanted to hear but for the time being, they seemed to agree. Cassidy shrugged her shoulders: "So? What do we do? Return to Kandrakar?"  
"No. These people need our help. We can't abandon them just because they are furious. I would be furious in their stead and so would you, Halinor. Kadma, you, too. We have to make it to the royal family. That's our mission."

We flew from town to town, but no one would help us. No one would let us help either. With every angry mob, with each encounter, the girls got edgier and controlling their emotions became more and more exhausting. Yan Lin tried to support me as best as she could but even her good nature was vulnerable to frustration. Once more we had to flee like refugees, hide from the rioting locals who came after us with horses or vehicles of strange sorts. They were fast and had weapons. The time for a decision was due. Should we stay and risk our lives? Or return to Kandrakar and leave these people to themselves? It was a terrible decision. The girls were weary and stressed. They jumped at every sound and when an old woman came to meet us, it took incredible effort to convince them of her good intentions.  
I went to greet her and took care to stay within the line of fire of the others. Just in case.

"I'm sorry if we scared you. It's just… the people haven't been very nice to us."  
She nodded with sorrow written all over her face and motioned us to follow her. The girls hesitated.  
I turned to face them. "What now? She's our only hope to find the royal family. We all had a hard day but let's try to do our job here one last time. I promise, if this is a dead end, we'll go back to Kandarkar."  
"If we still can…", Kadma hissed. I could sense their thoughts, the darkness in them. They rose up like a giant black cloud, pushing down on my shoulders. I felt the cold within me and automatically looked at Yan Lin. But she couldn't help me now. None of them could. I was on my own. I tried to focus on my heart, on the heat around me, the sound of the wind, rolling sand across the landscape. Breathe… feel… trust… You can do this. The cold faded, but so did my strength. Worn out, I followed the old lady. I didn't care about the others. That's what I tried to tell myself. I heard their footsteps behind me and had to fight the urge to turn my head, fight the feeling of discomfort.

After a short while, we reached a small house in the middle of nowhere. On closer inspection I could make out the sad remainders of a garden, a fence and some trees. The woman told us to come in and we met her husband. They were kind and shared their humble meal with us. With every bite, every drink, the girls grew back to their old, positive selves. I was relieved but also worried. Our mission had just begun and we already suffered from so many troubles.

When everyone was finished eating, we patiently introduced ourselves and I explained our intentions. The old couple didn't know much about the magic that had brought the heat. Like on Tarzea, they woke up one morning and snow had turned to sand and a terrible heat started making the locals sick and raging. We bent over a map on the table.  
"The royal city is here", he pointed to a big area at the top of the map. "We are down here. It takes about 2 days on foot." I twitched at that. I heard the rustling of clothes behind me. "2 days? We can't stay that long!" Halinors voice grew loud. Cassidy and Kadma went through all the obstacles on the way, the many villages of rioters that would try to kill us, the dry waterless vast lands. Yan Lin talked to me more quietly: "Nerissa, we can't stay that long. Our families would go crazy and what about school? We all need some rest…"  
"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" My fist hit the table. "I have to think."  
It was quiet then. And I thought. I collected all facts together, turned and twisted them, calculated and finally closed my eyes. There was only one way out of this: "I will go."

"What?", the girls exclaimed. Suddenly all anger, all frustration had left them. Halinor looked at the map again, then to me and back at the map. "Nerissa… think this through, you can't-", I cut her off: "I just have. It's the only solution." "It will take you forever to get there.", Kadma reminded me. I nodded: "Not if I fly." I waited for any more objections but there was only silence. With my finger I drew an uneven line, avoiding all villages on the way towards the royal city on the map. "If I avoid the towns I should be able to make it there and back in 2 days."

Kadma sighed: "That's still two days gone from Earth. What about your family?"

"You will take care of that. It would have been too risky with all of us anyways. I'm faster on my own and if I stay close to the ground the locals won't even notice I'm there." I tried a smile. The girls' faces stayed still as stone.  
"I don't think we should split up.", Kadma finally admitted. I sighed. How could I explain myself without harming their feelings? None of us wanted to go. But someone had to. So far each of the girls had used their powers against the locals at least once, filled with the same rage and aggression. It had befallen them like an illness and I couldn't risk a war. It was easier to do it myself.

Yan Lin's eyes surprisingly filled with tears. Quickly she wiped them away and focused on the map. "There must be another way. There has to be!" I smiled warmly and lay a hand onto her head, like patting a dog. "There is none. Don't worry." I turned towards the others: "In 2 days, we'll meet back here. If I'm not back by sundown, leave for Kandrakar and get help. Don't look for me on your own!"  
"But Nerissa, the rioters are everywhere. How do you expect to even get into the city?", Cassidy asked quietly. I frowned. I hadn't thought about that. A finger tapped onto the map. Surprised we all looked up at the old man. He grinned. "It's just a legend but… supposedly there is a secret passage somewhere around the western gates. If you find it, you can make it to the palace without being seen."

One hour later, I was equipped with a bit of food, water and some herbs in case I would run into trouble. I was ready to go. The suns were nearing the horizon. It would be easier to travel at night. The old woman helped me store away everything into a belt with small bags, when the girls came out. They looked down. We said our goodbyes, exchanged good luck wishes and each of them got a hug. Finally I turned to look at them one last time. "See you in two days."

And with the last bit of day light, I rose into the sky and darted away over the sand.

I didn't look back. If I had caught just one glimpse of their figures against the dawning sky, I might have changed my mind and left with them. But this was more important than any of us. I had to focus on the mission.

Strange what we think of when alone. How our mind turns to unspoken fears and darkness rises. How we go over situations, wondering how they would have played out if we had done something different. How we are driven from nostalgic to anger, to sadness and start doubting our self. It's these moments that shape our future. Not the battles, the opportunities taken or the friends we make. It's ourselves. How can I become great, when every time a door closes and the sound echoes to silence, my darker self takes over? How can my future be bright, if I can't face and accept myself in these moments? I knew doubting was necessary, like fear and anger and sadness. Without them we wouldn't know what life is, what living means, what's worth cherishing or even changing in this world. And so I took a deep breath, let the darkness in and accepted my flaws, wrong doings and weaknesses. I let it pass through me like a river, cleansing my soul on its way until I became restless again and sinister thoughts crept up from the back of my mind. I decided to call it a day, pushed the darkness away, cleared my mind and looked at the soft shimmer of light rising over the desert. I didn't think about the locals, or the girls, the old couple or my parents at home. I just sat and watched, breathed, listened and at some point, I drifted into a deep slumber.

Something stirred, I could feel it in the air around me. It was so intense, my dream started changing until it tuned into a great black thing, daring me to stay long enough for it to take me. With a gasp, I shot up and shook my head! It was day still and the two suns shone onto the stone around me until it felt like an oven. While usually, the heat was almost unbearable, I was more than happy about it, now that a cold chill crept up my back and arms once more. I lay back down and focused on the warmth under me, how it filled me up. I felt better after a few minutes and apparently, my resting time was over. A heavy dust cloud rose on the horizon. It came closer very fast. A caravan.  
Carefully I gathered my few things and moved close to the ground. Finally, I rolled over the edge of the rock I had been sleeping on, fell, until my wings opened silently and I drifted the last meters to the ground. Quickly I continued my journey. It wasn't the first caravan of locals I had encountered since I had left the girls. In fact, it was the third. So far none had seen me but they travelled fast and made me take alternative routes which made my way even longer. Sleep was rare to get. The nights were cool so I used them to travel the greatest distance, while at day it got so hot sleeping was hard to achieve. The tiredness slowed my footsteps, while the lack of sleep and water tricked my mind constantly. At times it got so bad I felt sick and had to find a place to rest. And after two days alone, hunger and thirst weren't my only problems. At first the loneliness had been a sweet companion. It made me think clearer, digest the latest developments of our adventures. But it quickly turned into a cruel stalker. Watching me constantly. The more I progressed on the path to the royal city, the more I felt like I was going backwards. Sand and stone everywhere. If there was a town, I had to avoid it. If I heard someone talk, I had to hurry on without being seen.  
It was only as I approached a strange dark spot in the distance that I thought of home, of my parents, the girls, Heatherfield, school, the scent of rain. Everything suddenly came back to me like a long lost memory. Family- vacations, how I met the girls, the old grumpy neighbor in his scary house… common things like electricity, cars, the sound of a door or a familiar voice that suddenly seemed so precious. But while I clearly remembered, the pictures seemed surreal as if they had no connection to me at all. My finger rose to my face where it met a single tear. That girl I saw in those memories looked just like me.

But it wasn't me.

Not anymore.

I knew it then for the first time.

To be continued... 


End file.
